"Hamas' 30,000 Main Forces Remain in Underground Tunnels... It May Take 10 Years to Eradicate"

Entering the second month of conflict
"Still unable to clear all of northern Gaza Strip"

As the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas enters its second month, concerns have been raised that Hamas's main forces remain intact inside underground tunnel fortresses, posing significant challenges to the clearance operations. Pessimistic forecasts suggest that a complete eradication targeted by the Israeli military could require the war to continue for more than a decade.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the 5th (local time), the Washington Post (WP), citing Israeli government security officials, reported, "Although over 5,000 Hamas members have died in this conflict, more than 30,000 main forces still remain in the Gaza Strip," adding, "The clearance operations are far from complete not only in southern Gaza but also in the northern areas."

According to these officials, "Most of northern Gaza has been destroyed by airstrikes, but the Israeli military has yet to reach Hamas's main strongholds within Gaza City." It was pointed out that Hamas fortresses, including underground tunnels, in over one-third of northern Gaza remain intact.

WP also noted, "Satellite images taken on the 30th of last month by the private satellite company Planet Labs, before the temporary ceasefire ended, showed almost no presence of Israeli forces in Jabaliya and Shejaiya in northern Gaza." Although Hamas has not disclosed the exact number of casualties among its members, it is estimated that the force originally consisted of around 27,000 to 40,000 troops, indicating that the main units are still intact.

Michael Horowitz, head of Israeli intelligence at consulting firm Levick, told WP, "It is difficult to assess how much impact Israel has had on the entire tunnel system," adding, "We do not know how many vertical shafts each tunnel has." So far, the Israeli military has discovered about 800 tunnels in Gaza since the conflict began and destroyed around 500 of them, but the exact number of tunnels, which number in the thousands, remains unknown.

There are warnings that Israel's campaign to eradicate Hamas could become a protracted conflict lasting over ten years. Earlier, on the 3rd, during a visit to Qatar, French President Emmanuel Macron stated at a press conference, "No one believes that the complete destruction of Hamas, as claimed by Israeli authorities, is possible. For that to happen, the war would have to continue for ten years," adding, "Israel has reached a point where it needs to more clearly define its ultimate goal."